HUPC ACTION UPDATE

West Fork Blacks Fork Grazing

After years and years of waiting, followed by fits and starts, the Evanston/Mt. View Ranger District has finally started (AGAIN) the analysis of sheep grazing on the West Fork Blacks Fork (of late, see LYNX 12/00, 12/01, 8/02, 10/02) within the High Uintas Wilderness. While still in the scoping process, at least this time around they are starting with preparation of a full scale Environmental Impact Statement but have said in no uncertain terms their intent is to continue grazing. It will only be your wild voice that gives us the foundation to challenge this decision down the line unless, of course, the Forest Service comes to its collective sense and realizes public lands belong to all of us and a host of other non-human wild critters, not simply sheep permittees!

East Fork Salvage Timber Sale

Hardly able to contain themselves the Evanston/Mt. View Ranger District has prepared a scoping document for a timber sale within the area burned by the East Fork (Bear River) Fire (LYNX 8/02). While we are supportive and grateful that the district has promised not to build any roads or harvest any timber within the roadless areas, it is still disappointing to see the Wasatch so intent on doing a timber sale. The scientific literature is adamant in that post-fire commercial salvage logging is clearly detrimental to natural ecological recovery in the area. It is far wiser to focus on restoration efforts and allow Mother Nature to recover within her temporal and spatial context.

NOTE: We have prepared and sent email alerts on the two scoping projects above and posted them on our web site. If you would like to receive these early scoping alerts, please send us your email either by real mail or by going to our web site, www.HUPC.org/contact.htm, and notifying us of your email address.

Evanston/Mt. View Travel Plan

We appealed the Evanston/Mt. View (North Slope) Summer Travel Plan (LYNX, 6/01, 12/01, 2/02) and, as of this writing, have not yet seen the disposition of the appeal. We questioned the Forest Service's selection of the preferred alternative rather than the environmentally preferable alternative which offered more protection to streams, wildlife security, and soils while accomplishing this with almost all of the access in the selected and more impacting alternative! The difference focused primarily on a few questionably placed dispersed campsite spur roads. Sometimes one's head spins trying to understand why the Forest Service can't just once make a commitment to fully protecting the land! The travel plan was also appealed by the Utah Environmental Congress.

BYU Natural Resources Law Forum and Wolves

On a warm, windy afternoon, Dick Carter joined Dr. Robert Schmidt, Utah State University wildlife professor, Craig McLaughlin of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and representatives from the Utah Farm Bureau and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife to discuss the plethora of issues surrounding wolves, from legal to social, from simple to complex, all contentious, with about 50 bright-eyed, pizza munching, incredibly polite and inquisitive BYU law students.

USU and Mission WOLF

On April 14 we helped bring Mission Wolf and its resident wolves to Utah State University and the public to discover wolves firsthand. This event was the brainchild of Dr. Robert Schmidt's wildlife students and a great success.

Meeting the New Ashley Supervisor

On April 9 Dick Carter met with new Ashley N. F. Supervisor George Wheldon to discuss issues facing the High Uintas.

HUPC Discussion Series, 2003

A success by any standard! Starting with Wolves with Dr. Robert Schmidt, moving to Global Climate Change with Art Roscoe, then to the Wasatch Forest Plan with Tom Tidwell and Melissa Blackwell from the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and Dick Carter- all have been revealing, provocative and worth the effort largely thanks to you, our good members and friends, who brought to each meeting a great deal of vision, warmth and just plain decency! Thank you!

BUT WAIT, ONE MORE IS ON THE HORIZON! The summation of all this analysis must end in hope and beauty